


human or demon? (a fine line to walk, indeed)

by CC_Writes_Stuff



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Blood and Violence, Canon-Typical Violence, Claude has feelings, F/M, Kinda, My Unit | Byleth Has Emotions, Pining, byleth is feral now, not goddamn solon, we deserved the killing blow on kronya, white clouds chapter 10 spoilers, white clouds chapter 9 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:54:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22528930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CC_Writes_Stuff/pseuds/CC_Writes_Stuff
Summary: After discovering where Monica was hiding out, Claude and the rest of the Deer follow Teach as she goes to avenge her father. It’s during this battle when Claude reminded of just how inhuman she used to be before she came to the monastery.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 2
Kudos: 52





	human or demon? (a fine line to walk, indeed)

Claude had seen her fight several times. He had sparred with her enough to know his dear old Teach was a master of tactics and her own emotions, or at least too disengaged to the latter to deal with them during battle. Although she had been hard to read, hard to figure out, from the moment of their first battle, Claude could tell that much about her. Byleth was a mercenary, through and through.

He also had heard the mercenaries’ nickname for her, too. _The Ashen Demon._ Claude had heard it spoken only twice, though. Once by the mercenaries she worked with not too long after she and her father had saved him and the other heirs, joking about the Ashen Demon becoming teacher to a bunch of noble brats. Another time from Hanneman, when he... _overheard_... the Crest Scholar talking to Byleth, and he had mentioned that nickname again.

It didn’t take Claude long to see where that nickname had come from. She was expressionless, in both life and battle, taking the lives of the bandits without so much as a hint of emotion on her face. It was scary, at first, but he supposed that came from a lifetime of cutting down bandits. Well, that, and the fact she wasn’t exactly human in the first place. The diary he’d gotten from Teach had said as much.

_No heartbeat… no heartbeat!_

That was what Jeralt had written in it, and Claude had a brief moment of pity for the doctor that discovered that fact, and for Jeralt. Surely, someone who had no heartbeat couldn’t feel emotions, right? Still, Byleth was all too human just the same. She just didn’t express it the same as others, he realized quickly. A quirk of the eyebrows, a twitch of the lips, shifting her weight from one leg to another. It had taken a few months, but he’d eventually managed to figure out the subtle cues that told him how Teach was feeling.

Then Jeralt had died.

In all the time Claude had known her, it was probably the most he’d seen her be human, with human emotions and feelings. A month later, he still couldn’t get the image of tears dripping down her face, the twist of his clothes when she had grabbed him, the warmth of her skin when he hugged her.

At first, Byleth had been stoic and silent, as if she had reverted back to how she had been during the first few months she’d been there. Not a tear shed at the funeral, and if she had, her head was lowered the entire time. But still, Claude could see that his death had an effect on her. She spent the first five days after the funeral locked in her room, refusing to talk to anyone, or go out and teach classes and train and do stuff.

Somehow, he had managed to convince her to come out of that shell, bit by bit. By the end of the week, she had returned to teaching classes. Despite all the precautions Byleth took to not let anyone see how she felt, Claude could still catch it, though. Teach had shied away from social situations and was always doing something; grading, fishing, gardening, and, most commonly, training. He didn’t miss the glances to people whenever they looked at her with pity or sorrow.

So he tried his best to not do that, instead doing all sorts of stuff to coax her out of that shell, bit by bit. Even though she lacked a heartbeat of her own, she was still human, and still processed human emotions.

And rage, apparently, was one of them.

Claude didn’t miss the flare of fire in Byleth’s eyes when the knights had discovered where Monica was hiding out; in the Sealed Forest. It was a look he’d seen in his mother several times before, a look that said, _not even the Goddess herself can stop me._ Not that he blamed her; he hadn’t lost either one of his parents yet, so he had no idea how it must feel to have the only family, the only person who took the time to care for her and raise her despite her inhumanness died.

Stabbed in the back by a cowardly traitor.

“Losing you so soon after losing Jeralt would be unbearable,” Is what Lady Rhea had said to them once Claude told her that. He hadn’t expected Byleth’s snipped and venom-soaked reply.

“Then at least I’ll die sending that bitch to the Eternal Flames.”

Somehow, he had managed to convince Rhea to let Teach - and by extension, the rest of the Deer - go to the forest. He had also managed to stop Byleth from racing ahead before he could gather the rest of the Deer to join, which was rather surprising. The flare in her eyes was something Claude had never seen before, and he was surprised that Teach didn’t run off ahead to get vengeance.

Or, at least, she hadn’t, not until they saw the soldiers and Demonic Beasts in the woods.

Quick as a whip, Teach called out for the group to split up into two groups, one heading towards the left, the other starting forward. A quick don’t get killed before she dashed out ahead of them with unmatched speed towards the first soldier. Poor bastard didn’t even have time to react or cast a spell. Byleth cut through him, her sword cleaving the guy in half. It was then that Claude felt his stomach churning, and he immediately ran after Teach, calling for Leonie, Lysthiea, and Hilda to give him back up.

Teach was skilled, sure. But that quiet, festering rage Claude had sensed from her earlier had been brewing up since Jeralt’s death. Now, Claude knew that rage was about to spill over, for better or for worse. He bet that although Teach was willing to kill anyone who stood in her way of whoever the commander of this army was, that rage might make her sloppy, reckless.

One of the Demonic Beasts was right next to the mage Byleth had killed, and Claude knocked an arrow as he ran towards it. Trying to push down the fact they looked like the Demonic Beasts in the chapel the day Jeralt was killed, he aimed towards the beast’s head, shot it. It let out a roar, and another one followed as Teach turned on her foot and whipped the Sword of the Creator towards the Demonic Beast’s leg.

It sliced it clean off, glowing crimson red, and suddenly, Claude had a feeling that touching that sword would not be a good thing.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Claude saw one of the soldiers rushing towards Teach, his ax gleaming in the sunlight. Narrowing his eyes, he drew, knocked, aimed, and released before the soldier got anywhere near her. It hit the soldier in knee, and he tumbled. Claude ran over him and kicked him in the head, effectively knocking the guy out. It would be prudent to leave at least one of them alive if they were to get any information from them.

After all, he was pretty sure that Teach would kill every last soldier there without mercy.

By then, the others had gotten to the Beast, and Byleth was barking out careful orders to the other Deer to bring it down. Meanwhile, she focused on the soldiers that were there, cutting each one of them down with deadly efficiency. Claude spared a glance towards the other group to make sure they didn’t need any help - they seemed fine - before looking back to Teach.

Confident Teach would take care of the soldiers, he refocused his attention onto the Demonic Beast, shooting arrow after arrow at the thing. Finally, it fell, and the moment it did, Claude saw Byleth spare one glance towards the second group, before dashing down the road. Letting out a sigh, he chased after her, hoping the others would catch up to them soon, preferably a healer; he knew Teach always kept a vulenary or two on her, but she was probably too focused on revenge to care about her own well-being.

Then, once Teach cleared past the woods, she stopped, turned to the side. A few seconds later, he heard Monica’s voice.

“Hello! You’re here! Welcome to the forest of death!” She said, voice turning sinister at the last few words. Claude spared a single glance behind him at the bloodied road, then Teach, then to Monica as he caught up with her while Monica laughed.

“My name is Kronya,” Monica - no, wait, Kronya? - continued. “This weakling girl was just a borrowed look for me.” She paused, and Claude’s razor-sharp eyes caught Monica’s - no, Kronya’s - attire changing. It was so similar to what Solon had done, it was almost freaky.

She was about the same height, but her skin was far too… not pale, but grey, like clouds on a stormy day sort of grey. Kronya had orange hair, and was wearing an attire that would not be considered school appropriate. A sword was in her hand, though he was too far away to tell if it was some kind of special sword or just a regular one. Then, Claude felt Teach tense up next to her as the other Deer caught up with them. Narrowing his eyes, he brushed his knuckles against her hand, a warning. _Don’t be stupid._

He tried to ignore the fact her knuckles were warm and wet with blood.

“This is what I really look like!” Kronya announced, and he heard the other Deer muttering behind him. In the distance, on the other side of Kronya, he saw the second group of Deer appearing from the treeline, Petra and Ingrid flying above them, the latter a valiant knight on her pegasi, and a moment later, Hilda flew down on the other side of Claude.

“Doesn’t matter,” Teach called out to Kronya, her voice taunt and snippy, dripping with venom. Byleth never yelled at them, but silence or her words were two of her better ways to handle their misbehavior.

But there was something about this that sent shivers down Claude’s spine.

“You’re just as dead.”

“Vermin…” Kronya hissed at them. “I’ll take down every last one of you.”

If Byleth wasn’t already mad before, that made her pissed. She had already lost her father, but Claude knew by then that no one threatened the Deer and got away with it. He bet that the last thing Byleth wanted to happen was one of them dying.

“Everyone, back off!” She called out, her voice carrying through the forest with a dangerous tone in it. “She’s _mine.”_

A quick glance at her face, and Claude could only describe her look as predatory, and the tight grip on her sword confirmed that. The Sword of the Creator was crimson red with both blood and its mysterious glow. But before he could get more than that from her, Byleth dashed towards Monica with a speed Claude had never seen from her before, not even when she was running up and down the monastery.

Byleth reached Kronya in a matter of seconds, closing the distance between the two in a time that shouldn’t be possible.

Apparently, though, Kronya had expected her to attack like that, and then the sound of steel sounded through the forest. Something in Claude’s chest dropped to his stomach, and he gestured to the rest of the Deer to follow him.

“But the professor-” Lysthiea started.

“There’s no way one girl can kill all of us,” Claude cut her off with a wave of his hand as he drew an arrow. “If you can, stay back. We’ll let Teach do the fighting. But if she’s in a pinch, you have my permission to attack. I’ll take the blame.”

Nocking the arrow onto the bowstring, Claude dashed towards Teach, hearing Kronya talking to her.

“You’re a fool to be so brazen,” Kronya taunted, laughing. “You’ll never avenge your father at this rate.”

More laughing. Claude was already getting sick of her laughing.

“I’ll have to kill you, too! With my own bare hands!”

 _Like hell you will, you bitch,_ Claude thought as he raced towards Teach, his heart hammering in his chest. _Not if I have anything to say about it._

Reaching a good point away from the two where he wouldn’t be in too much danger if Kronya decided to attack the students or him, Claude raised his bow. He wasn’t going to try and steal the kill from Byleth, but maybe landing in a well-placed shot on her arm or knee would help. But that would be virtually impossible, he realized quickly. Byleth and Kronya were dancing around each other, Byleth dodging each of Kronya’s attacks and vice versa. Claude had never seen anyone go this long in a fight against Teach. Attempting to shoot now would run the chance of stealing the kill, or worse, hitting Byleth.

“Will… you… stand… still!” Byleth huffed with each attack that Kronya jumped over or blocked or parried. Kronya just laughed at that, launching her sword in Byleth’s direction. She blocked it easily, then launched out at Kronya once more.

Claude noticed at the last second; a lone ax wielder charged towards Teach, letting out a battle cry. Quickly, he pointed his arrow at the soldier, but Teach was faster.

One moment, she was locking swords with Kronya. The next, she was gone, and he saw the tip of her blade poking through the armor on the bandit’s chest. He let out a guttural growl, and collapsed.

Smooth as silk, Byleth removed her sword from the man’s back, then turned towards Kronya. He couldn’t see her gaze from how she was standing, but whatever Kronya saw in it, it must’ve scared her. She took a step back, then another.

Byleth stepped forward, silent as the grave.

Then, the coward turned and ran.

Byleth didn’t waste any time chasing after her like a predator does its prey, towards the stone space in the center of the clearing ahead of them. Narrowing his eyes, Claude put his arrow back into his quiver.

Teach had won today. Kronya wouldn’t be leaving here with her life, no matter how much she begged.

He saw Kronya trip, rolling onto the stone center, scrambling to her feet as Byleth pursued her chase. He could hear Kronya’s incredulous “But how?” even from there. “How could I really lose… to a lowly creature like you?”

A spark of anger flared up in Claude’s chest, then. It hadn’t been the first time he’d heard people talk to others - often him and poor Cyril - like that. He had grown used to it by then, really. Still, the fact that this coward was calling Byleth that left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was a bastard to some extent, sure. But Byleth was a good person, if a little socially inept.

Teach was silent as she raised her sword to deal the final blow. But then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone appearing into view.

“Well…” an all-too-familiar voice said, sending shivers down his spine. The hair on the back of Claude’s neck rose.

He turned to see the Tomas - no, Solon - standing behind Kronya.

“Solon!” Kronya said, looking over her shoulder.

Something in Claude told him to move, to not just stand there, to go and help Teach. But it’s as if his legs had been frozen in place, despite his brain’s protests.

“Don’t just stand there and stare! I need your help!”

“Yes, you most certainly do,” the mage said, taking careful steps towards Kronya.

_Move, legs, move, dammit!_

But Claude could only watch in stunned silence as the mage walked towards Kronya. Then… he couldn’t even describe it. It was if he placed his hand through her chest, and he heard a cracking noise as he lifted the girl up.

“Have no fear, Kronya,” The mage said, and Claude snapped out of his trance. Despite every instinct in him that had kept him alive this long telling him not to, he dashed towards Teach. Foot- and hoof-steps told him the others were following suit as well, not allowing their precious Teach to get hurt.

“Your sacrifice will help to rid this world of the filthy vermin that have long infested it.”

“Teach!” Claude shouted, drawing and nocking another arrow as he ran. If Byleth heard him, she didn’t respond, unable to look away from the scene in front of them.

Come on, Teach, snap out of it! Claude thought as he drew his arrow back, aiming towards Solon. He let it go, but before it got anywhere near the mage, dark purple and black colored magic flew up from the outline of the stone center. The arrow seemed to have been absorbed by it, vanishing into dust.

“Holy shit,” Claude heard Hilda say in awe, and against his better wishes, he paused in his tracks, held a hand out to stop the others.

“Stay away from that… that… _magic,_ ” Claude hissed at them, the words bitter in his taste. He didn’t want to leave Teach trapped in there, but she could take care of herself. “Whatever that magic is, it’s dangerous. Wait for an opening.”

He heard pained screaming from Kronya on the other side, and his gut churned. “-op this!”

“Gods,” Marianne and Mercedes muttered in unison.

“What’s going on over there, Petra? Ingrid?” He called out to the two fliers, glancing above him. “Do you see anything?!”

“I… I cannot be seeing anything,” Petra grunted, voice tight. “This Solon has… covered the top as well. Like a roof.”

“Damn,” Claude muttered, brain turning, trying to think of any quick schemes or plans to get them out of this. He had to save Teach - save Byleth - before it was too late. Narrowing his eyes, he turned to Lysthiea and Annette. “Hey, have you two-”

“The time has finally come.” Claude was cut off by Solon speaking from the other side, and he felt his body freeze. “To unleash the forbidden spell of Zaharas upon our enemies!”

 _Forbidden Spell of Zaharas?_ Claude asked himself, not liking any part of that sentence as he looked back towards the magic. In a desperate attempt, he drew, nocked, aimed and released another arrow. Like before, it did nothing. It was absorbed by the magic wall, and turned into dust.

Then, something like a strong wind burst out from the magic, nearly knocking Claude off his feet. There was something about this that felt dangerous, dark, deadly, and he gritted his teeth as he fought to stay on his feet, mind racing with questions. The main one was, _was Byleth okay?_ After a few seconds, it finally cleared, and the magic dissipated. When it did, he gasped, stomach-dropping to his chest, a cold sweat breaking out over his skin. Some of the other Deer let out shocked gasps and cries as well, and he saw Hilda tightening the grip on her ax next to him, her wyvern grunting and snorting.

Solon was standing in the middle of the clearing, and Kronya lay dead - she had to be, right? - next to him. But the worst part?

_Byleth was missing._

“Teach…?” Claude asked, unable to keep the shake out of his voice as he looked around, heart hammering in his chest.

_No. No. No. Not her._

Even the forest had gone still, as if the trees and animals were as shocked as he was. No chirping from the birds, no wind rustling the leaves on the trees… Just an unnatural silence, a silence that shattered when Solon spoke.

“Be gone with you… Fell Star…” Claude heard Solon say. Narrowing his eyes, Claude drew another arrow and nocked it, pointing it towards Solon, despite everything in him telling him to stay away from that man. He heard his heart hammering in his chest, the blood roaring in his ears.

_What did that bastard do to her?_

He suddenly wished that his grandfather had let him take Failnaught. Claude had only used it a few times, and the first was right after he came to the estate. Despite the tests saying he had the Crest of Reigan, his grandfather was skeptical and made him try Failnauaght out to confirm it.

Even now, he could still remember the pulse the bow gave when he had set his hands onto it, sudden enough to make him startle and drop it. It was the first time he had ever heard of a Hero’s Relic, much less used one. But he didn’t let that deter him, and tried again, drawing the arrow as the tip and bow both glowed red. It had been enough to convince his grandfather he was, in fact, a true heir.

Of course, his grandfather was stubborn, saying Claude needed to ‘earn’ the relic before he could use it, and didn’t let him take it with him to the academy. When he went back, he tried to sneak it out of his grandfather’s study, but Judith had caught him, gave him a slap on the wrist, and made him return it. If he had known this was going to happen, he would’ve taken it back with him anyway.

“Wh...what was that?” Hilda asked, and Claude didn’t miss the tremble in her voice. “Where did you go, professor?”

Solon turned to the group, slowly, as if he hadn’t just used some sort of… what even was that? Some kind of magic? Whatever it was, that, coupled with the smirk that crossed the mage’s face sent shivers down his spine.

“They were swallowed by the mystical darkness of the forbidden spell,” Solon told them, and Claude frowned, mind turning. _Forbidden spell?_ Once they got out of there, he’d need to ask Lysthiea or Hanneman about that. Maybe even Hubert, if Edelgard’s lapdog was willing to tell him.

“An eternity wandering in a void of nothingness, never to return to this world. To think… we almost had the Sword of the Creator, too.”

“I don’t believe anything you say!” Lysthiea snapped at the mage. If she was afraid, she sure as hell wasn’t showing it, which was more than he could say. If someone looked close enough, they could see the shake in his hands.

“That’s right,” Flayn agreed, and Claude glanced at the girl, back to Solon. “Our Professor is no ordinary human!”

 _Is she even human?_ Claude couldn’t help but ask himself, recalling the passage in Jeralt’s diary about her not having a heartbeat. But he pushed that aside, for now.

“I refuse to believe that Teach would die in a place like this,” Claude replied, and he was surprised at how true the words felt. Even if she was exceptional at fighting, she could still die from a stray blow, like any of them. But there was something about her that told Claude that Byleth wouldn’t fall, not in a place like this, and leave them to fight against this mage all by themselves. She wouldn’t do that, not to them - to him.

“It is possible death has yet to find your friend,” Solon told them. “But there are things worse than death. Drifting through the darkness with no chance of escape… Overwhelmed with hopelessness… it must be tortuous.”

Despite himself, Claude forced a shaky smile onto his lips.

“Hey, all I hear is good news. Teach is alive,” he said, hoping that his statement was true. He couldn’t bear to think of Byleth dying, not after he’d grown so close with her. Hell, in a different life, he might even consider her his friend. The thought her dying left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“And if that’s true, there’s only one thing to do. Defeat you while we wait for Teach’s triumphant return!”

Still, Claude didn’t miss the way his hands shook as he held the bow, questions running amok through his mind. Even if they did defeat Solon, how were they supposed to save Teach? Where even was she? Could she even-

 _No, don’t think like that, Claude,_ he told himself, glancing at the others to make sure they were ready for battle. A lot of them seemed scared, some more than others, but he didn’t miss the gleam in each and every one of their eyes. Even Linhardt was looking more awake than normal, eyes narrowed as a magic ring floated in front of his hands.

“Prepare yourself,” Leonie hissed at the mage. “We will avenge our leader here and now!”

“How trite,” Solon said, shaking his head. “But if you wish for pain, I shall oblige. If you prefer it so, you shall also be added to the ranks of the dead!”

Narrowing his eyes, Claude pulled back the arrow until he thought the drawstring would snap.

“Hey, guys, I’m sure this goes without saying… but if you want to leave now, I don’t blame you,” he said, trying his best to keep his voice from shaking. He couldn’t quite tell if he succeeded or not.

“As for me… I’ll kill this bastard once and for all, if that’s what it takes to avenge Captain Jeralt and save Teach.”

“I don’t mind putting in a bit of work, this time,” Hilda said. “If it means I get to end this bastard’s life before he does any more damage.”

“We’re with you, Claude,” Lysthiea and Marianne said.

“And me,” Raphael said.

“And me.” Ignatz.

“And me.” Leonie.

“And me.” Lorenz.

One by one, the rest of the students who transferred into Teach’s class agreed, and Claude smirked. Even if he was a ridiculously-strong mage, he was still outnumbered twenty to one, not counting the three people that were near him.

Then, a flash of light as he and the three people warped away before he could shoot. In the distance, up atop the hill, he saw the purple coloring of warp, and he narrowed his eyes, lowered his bow. _He really isn’t going to make this easy for us, is he?_ Claude asked himself. But his thoughts were cut off from a glowing light to the side, and Claude turned just in time to see a hole being cut in the sky.

 _Teach,_ he thought, feeling a spark of warmth in his chest. _Heh… of course it’s her. She can cut her way out of damn near anything._

“Holy shit,” he heard Hilda mutter once more as Teach jumped through this… hole in the sky, the Sword of the Creator glowing with an unnatural yellow-orange glow. And if she wasn’t angry before, she was pissed now, the expression clear on her face, eyes narrowed, a vein pulsing in her neck, almost invisible from where he was.

But her eyes... Byleth’s eyes spoke murder as she glanced around, before settling on Solon’s figure in the distance.

With the light, though, he could… Was it just his mind playing tricks on him, or had her hair… changed?

A moment later, the hole closed up, and he saw Byleth spare a glance over her shoulder, checking to make sure everyone was okay. Claude felt a stone settle in his stomach as everyone cheered her triumphant return.

Her hair _was_ different. Instead of its normal ocean-blue, it was now a mint-green, far too similar to Rhea’s hair to leave him with a good taste in his mouth.

“Teach… you are Teach, right?” Claude asked, swallowing the lump in his throat as questions ran in his mind. _This had to be her, though. Who else could it be?_ Then, he gave another shaky smile. “I always believed in you. I knew you could cut your way out of anything.”

Byleth’s eyes landed on him, briefly, and he noticed with unease that her eyes had changed to the same color as her hair. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Let’s go and take down Solon, and then we can reflect on what happened,” he said, tearing his eyes away from Byleth and looking in Solon’s direction.

“What did you see in the darkness of Zaharas? This should be impossible. The only being that can withstand that darkness is...” He heard Solon call out from where he was. “Unless I dispose of you myself, I may never have the chance to send you back there!”

Then, more purple light from warps as a few more soldiers - and, of course, two Demonic Beasts - appeared from… somewhere. Claude narrowed his eyes and rose his bow once more.

_More Demonic Beasts… just great._

“Is everyone alright?” Byleth called out from where she stood, voice the same and unnaturally calm, which gave Claude some relief. At least she was acting like herself.

“Everyone’s good, Teach!” Claude replied, and he turned and beckoned for the others to follow him away from the forest. “You alright?”

“I’m fine… I just regret that I didn’t get to run Kronya through myself,” Byleth hissed, and her sword seemed to pulse at that. She quickly surveyed the area, mind already working. “Everyone, split up into your groups from before and take down these Demonic Beasts and soldiers. Pull back if you get injured.”

Then, for about the hundredth time that day, Teach raised her sword and dashed ahead, towards the soldier ahead of her.

Sighing, Claude shook his head, aimed at the soldier Byleth was running towards while the other Deer went to take on the Demonic Beasts. But she was quicker, throwing one hand out and casting a spell at the armored soldier ahead of her. It hit the soldier, and he stumbled back, but then lashed out at Byleth. She dodged it easily, leaping back from the swing and casting another spell at the soldier. It took the man down this time, the clank of his armor hitting the ground resonating through the forest, and he lay still.

Byleth only paused for a moment before turning on her heel and running towards the Demonic Beast on the right. Claude followed her, aiming and shooting at the beast. Not that he was sure it did much.

As the rest of the Deer closed in on the Beast, taking careful measures to dispose of it while not getting killed, Teach joined them. Claude watched with awe and a little bit of fear as she charged towards the beast, dropping into a slide at the last second. She slit the Beast’s belly open, sword still glowing with its unnatural red power as it carved through the Beast’s skin like a knife through butter. The beast let out a cry of pain, and Claude and the rest of the students took that opportunity to land the finishing blows on it. It let out a screech, then collapsed to the ground.

He only allowed himself to celebrate that for one second, turning her attention to Byleth. At this rate, she was going to challenge Solon and his lackeys up on the hill by herself, based on the way she tore off the arm of a horserider. Poor bastard let out a scream and fell off, and Teach drove her blade through the man’s armor, and he lay still.

“The professor is really kicking ass,” Claude heard Sylvain say, and he looked to see the orange-haired rider trotting up next to him. “Guess she’s still pissed at Kronya, and is taking it out on these guys.”

“Is it bad to say I feel sorry for these guys?” Claude asked, drawing another arrow from his quiver as he glanced in Teach’s direction. “Don’t answer that.”

“Either way, if she’s this pissed, she’ll probably do something sloppy,” Sylvain continued, a dark note in his voice. Claude nodded.

“Yeah… I’m going to try and keep up with her, make sure she doesn’t get herself killed.”

With that, Claude dashed after Byleth skirting past the liquefying body of the Demonic Beast, towards the stairs. Byleth was picking off one of the guys there, and Claude aimed and shot at another before he got too close to her. They made rather quick process as the others cleaned up the rest of the soldiers while Byleth headed towards Solon, quick as a whip. Claude decided to let Byleth handle Solon while he, Petra, Ingrid and Hilda picked off the soldiers near the guy. As he found himself dodging the spells from one of the healers, he overheard Byleth’s conversation with the mage.

“I am terrified by you,” he heard the mage say. “Even though an emotion such as fear has no place inside of me. That means you must be eliminated.”

There was shouting as the two fought, and Claude narrowly managed to avoid getting hit by a stray magic attack, the spell singing his upper arm and the jacket he had on. Quickly, he finished off the healer, then turned to the dias just in time to see Teach drive her sword through the mage’s chest, up to the hilt, the sword coming out red with blood.

“To think… I would lose to mere beats…” he heard the old man mutter, and Claude lowered his bow, ran up to the two. If Byleth noticed him, she didn’t acknowledge him, just stared at Solon. “No matter… Thales will carry out our mission… somehow.”

With that, the old man went limp, his cane clattering to the floor. Stomach turning, Claude let out a sigh.

“I guess this is still far from over,” he muttered as Teach drew her sword away from the mage and faced him.

Claude froze, then, as she did so. Byleth was covered head to toe in blood, probably from the Demonic Beast she gutted like a fish, her new hair color bright red with it. There was a small splatter of blood across her cheek, under her eyes. The fire that had been there when this battle started was extinguished, face as blank as ever. Her sword was dripping red, but she didn’t seem to notice as she sheathed it.

Casually, as if she just hadn’t slaughtered half of a small army.

 _The Ashen Demon._ That nickname ran in Claude’s mind once more, a warning to stay far away from this woman. _No wonder she got this nickname,_ he thought. Suddenly, that line that Teach so carefully thread between human and inhuman just got a lot blurrier.

And some part of Claude, the part that was still desperate to make his dream come true by any means possible, still wanted to use the sword, use her. But he had a feeling that, even if he tried his damnedest to, he just wouldn't be able to use her like that, for two reasons. 

One reason was that Byleth marched to the beat of her own drum, always off doing her own thing; teams weren't exactly her style. But even if she didn't care, did somehow fall for his tricks, after watching her just disappear like that... it seemed wrong to do so. And not just because her dad just died, either, no. It was for a different, deeper reason than that, something Claude couldn't explain, and _that_ was unnerving. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it had stepped on some toes, and climbed on other people's backs to get where he was, whether he wanted to or not. He had tricked and conned people, and he had been prepared to do the same to her. 

Now? Claude wasn't sure if he wanted to. And he couldn't tell for the life of him why, only that she meant a lot to him, more than he had expected her to mean. Sure, she was his professor, his Teach; Byleth was important to all of the Deer. But she had a way of making it seem like she was a lot more than that, like she was someone he could confide in, talk to when he was worried. In another life, he might even consider her his friend.

“You okay?” She asked her, voice as still as ever, though Claude noticed that spark that had been there when she was talking to Kronya was missing. It snapped him out of his thoughts, and he nodded, giving a shaky smile.

“Yeah,” he replied, trying to keep the shake from his voice, alarm bells going off in his head. She gave a quick nod and sped off, calling out the orders to start heading back to the monastery. He narrowed his eyes, questions burning in his head, but that would have to wait for later, when they were alone, and tried to tamper down this odd feeling he had in his chest.

One by one, the Deer left, and once everyone else did, Teach followed. He noticed her sparing a glance at Kronya’s body when they left, her fingers twitching on the hilt of her sword as they walked by her. Figured that, since they were so far back, now would be the best time to wring some information from her, mostly on what the hell just happened, why she cut a hole into the sky, and what the hell was up with her hair and eyes.

“Teach, we won!” He said casually, winking at her and smiling his best smile, no matter how bitter the words felt. Looking at her and the mass of bloodied, broken and red-stained bodies around them, it felt more like a slaughter, not a victory, and was glad now more than ever she was on his side. “I’ll be honest… when I lost sight of you, I broke into a cold sweat.”

Byleth’s lips quirked downward, eyebrows lowering, a look Claude could see as her sorry face whenever she accidentally said the wrong thing or was comforting someone.

“But Jeralt’s killer is dead… all’s well that ends well.”

Byleth cast a glance towards the stone center, where Kronya still lay, then glanced back to him, closing her mint-green eyes. He just noticed the bags under them, and wondered when the last time she slept was.

“True…” she said, and he could tell she was annoyed at not being the one to kill Kronya herself. A spark of anger flared up in his chest, then.

How could she act so casual, like this was just another fight? Like she hadn’t disappeared, then came back with mint-green hair and eyes, and killed half the soldiers here?

“You’re kidding, right?” Claude asked, unable to keep a lace of venom out of his voice, and he narrowed his eyes. He stepped in front of her, blocking her path, and was suddenly thankful he had at least a few inches of height on her. In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea, considering how she was covered in blood and still so damn casual about it.

“I understood putting it off in battle, but now that it’s over, just go ahead and spit it out,” he said, and Byleth stopped in her tracks, looking up at him. Her expression was as blank as the day they first met, and he wasn’t sure whether he liked that or not. “That hair. Those eyes. That unfathomable power. What happened out there?”

Byleth blinked, and so, so subtly, he noticed her rest her hand on the hilt of her bloodied sword, shift her weight from one leg to another. She glanced around, as if making sure this area was clear of any eavesdroppers, before looking to him.

“I’ll tell you,” she said, quietly, closing her eyes.

When she did, he was more confused and astounded than he was unnerved by her.

“Wait, so… you mean to tell me… that an entity who claims to be the goddess was living in your mind? And it’s been that way since you were a baby?” He asked, frowning, and running a hand through his hair. “And then this goddess entrusted all of her goddess-like power to you and then vanished…”

“It sounds crazy, I know,” Byleth said, shaking her head and glancing to the side, before grabbing a lock of her hair. “Even I have trouble believing this.”

“It is a difficult story to swallow, Teach,” He said, shaking his head. She was full of surprises, that one. “But the way you look now… I guess I’ve got no choice but to believe it. How could something like that happen? There must be a clue in Jeralt’s diary. If you believe the diary, there’s a high possibility that Rhea did something to you when you were born. That’s likely when this all began.”

“I’ve been looking, but so far, nothing,” Byleth told him, voice quiet, crossing her arms over her chest.

“What in the world happened to you as a baby? And what is Rhea after?”

Before Byleth could answer her questions, her eyes fluttured shut as she swayed, then fell to the floor. Claude’s heart skipped a beat.

“Teach! What’s the matter?! Did you trip or…” he paused, frowning. “Wait. Are you sleeping?”

 _This must be an effect of the goddess’s power._ _I wonder if Teach’s body can handle the strain,_ Claude thought to himself. _Think, Claude. What now? Maybe Hilda can help carry her back? She’ll complain, but she won’t refuse..._

Sighing, Claude shook his head. If what she was saying was true, then she was, in some way, connected to this goddess. Was that even possible? Either way, though, there was something about the way she slept that made her look all too human. And (although he wouldn't admit it out loud) kind of... cute.

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to do a little thing where Claude and the rest of the Deer see Byleth truly live up to her name of the Ashen Demon and how scary she can be in battle. After all, she has the nickname the Ashen Demon for a reason (plus I'm still very upset that the avatar isn't the one who gets the deal the killing blow to Kronya and instead Solon does it and I'm projecting onto Byleth)


End file.
